Venice’s new admission fee cannot curb overtourism

VENICE HAS never been more full—or more empty. In 2022 the population of the island city dropped below 50,000, down from 175,000 in 1951. But as residents leave, tourists flow in. Some 20m-30m people visit every year, most for day trips, and crowd the historic city’s eight square kilometres. They rarely visit cultural sites: only around 360,000 go to the Gallerie dell’Accademia, one of the city’s major art museums. Officials complain of “hit-and-run” tourists who come for a few hours, dump their rubbish and then go home.